The New Nook has a Secret Web Browser

The web browser on Barnes and Noble’s latest addition to the Nook family may be just the tip of the iceberg.

Now that the new Nook from Barnes and Noble has hit the streets users have discovered the device has some hidden web potential. It seems that just typing a URL into the Nook's search bar pulls up the site in the ebook reader's previously undocumented web-browser. Of course the e-ink display doesn't make for the best screen for a browser as this video from The ebook Reader shows, but it's still an exciting sign of things to come on the Nook.

The clandestine browser comes as another pleasant surprise for the nook family after their announcement earlier this year that the Nook Color would get an app store to add more functionality to the ereader. We already said the device was a great e-reader in our review of the new generation Nook but, since the whole thing runs on Android 2.1, we were a little disappointed it couldn't run apps of its own and specifically bemoaned the lack of a web browser. We couldn't be happier to see the added functionality.

Users on the hunt for more new features right now are in luck. The device has already been rooted. So far the method has only been used to load a nigh-unplayable version of Angry Birds (what else?) onto the Nook, but the hack's creator Jfreke has released his method so other rooters can access a whole world of Android apps for the device.

Of course, not every user is will put up with the hassle of rooting their e-reader. With any luck they won't have to. The refresh rate on the device may make games a tough sell but there's still a ton of potential for apps on the device. Hopefully this browser is a first step towards sharing the app store from the Nook's color cousin with the wi-fi model.